Fact Check: Viral image of duck orchids is AI generated but not original
Orchids are one of the largest of plant groups and many have unique flowers and growth habits. Their flowers vary widely in appearance. Many are stunning while some are ugly.
Orchids are one of the largest of plant groups and many have unique flowers and growth habits. Their flowers vary widely in appearance. Many are stunning while some are ugly. Some are known to resemble monkeys and some resemble ducks. Here, an image of a plant having flowers resembling ducks is being shared virally on social media.
Fact Check:
The image is AI generated and the claim is false.
Though we find flying duck orchids in nature, the flowers do not look like that in the viral image. It is called Caleana major and primarily grows in Australia.
When observed carefully, the regular duck orchid is normally brown in colour and the colours on the duck orchid in the viral image are different and even the structure is different.
The image has also been posted on Shutterstock as a vector and not as an image. A vector image is a computer-generated graphic. The creator’s name is listed as Marjante, who is a vector artist and also photographer, and illustrator.
In a reverse image search on an AI-generated image detector named Optic AI or Not, the image was identified as a generative art by AI.
Twitter handle Hoaxeye also verified the image and clarified that it is 99.6% likely to be AI-generated.
There is a rapid increase in the circulation of AI-generated images on social media, but observing these images carefully might help us identify them.
The viral image is AI generated and does not show the real duck orchid flowers. The claim is false.